


Traitors and Liars

by SassySnowperson (DramaticEntrance)



Series: Lyra Lives [2]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Brief discussion of assassination attempts, Brief discussion of suicide, Gen, Rebellion, Spies & Secret Agents, There's a lot of pitfalls in their conversation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 18:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15201032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaticEntrance/pseuds/SassySnowperson
Summary: The Erso family is brought back to the Rebellion, and Galen has a conversation with his would-be assassin.Cassian looked over at Galen. The man looked haunted. There was a heaviness to his shoulders and a blankness in his eyes that Cassian recognized. He had seen it in the mirror enough times.





	Traitors and Liars

**Author's Note:**

> [Aeshna](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeshna/) was a helpful and diligent beta, without whom there would be a great deal more errors.

Cassian slipped through the door, onto the small balcony overlooking the barracks training room. K-2SO had sent a comm, notifying Cassian that he would be participating in the next Pathfinder sparring session in order to promote interdisciplinary cohesion and increase tactical skill. Cassian was morbidly curious how in the galaxy that was going to play out. 

Besides, it's not like his schedule was so packed he couldn't squeeze the time in. He had downtime. Since dragging Galen Erso back to the the Rebellion instead of shooting him, Cassian had found himself with a lot of downtime. 

He was grateful that particular mission debrief had just been between him and Draven. Admitting that a middle-aged woman and her daughter had knocked him down, trussed him up, stolen his blaster, and proceeded to save his assassination target had been embarrassing, to say the least. At least Draven had waited until he was out in the hallway again before giving in to laughter. 

Cassian couldn’t blame him. On the surface, it was a ridiculous situation. But the humor was a mask covering up a serious tangle of issues. Jyn and Lyra were a formidable team, the two of them pulling off feats that an entire squad of Rebellion troops would have found daunting. They were dangerous operatives, but even more importantly, they were rogue agents. They lived on the base but they were not members of the Rebellion. Until they committed properly, they were a threat. Cassian was keenly aware that their loyalty was tied far more to one man than it was to the Rebellion as a whole. 

Speaking of whom…Cassian found that the balcony already had an occupant, a tall man with steel-streaked hair stood at the edge of the balcony. There was something tired in the hunched set of his shoulders, in the way his fingers hung limply over the railing.

Cassian considered turning to leave. Draven had solved the problems of Jyn and Lyra’s halfway-commitment and Galen’s continued existence by assigning Cassian to be their minder as the council hashed out the details. Galen already had Cassian’s presence forced on him during the twice-daily check-ins that Jyn had started referring to as the ‘Erso Family Meetings’. 

Another bit of humor masking a complicated reality. Galen had little enough privacy from Cassian, the least he could do was give the man this. 

Before he could actually turn to back out again, though, Galen looked up and over his shoulder. Cassian was surprised to see a small smile cross the man’s face, the gesture of his head as he beckoned Cassian over to the railing. With a shrug, Cassian joined him. 

He couldn’t help but chuckle at what he saw. K-2SO was there, yes, squaring off against a Pathfinder. But as he did so, the slim figure of Jyn Erso crept up behind him. Cassian stood next to Galen and watched Jyn’s careful approach. She was smart, taking advantage of when the droid was distracted to creep ever closer. 

Finally within arm’s reach, she darted forward, twisting her body to follow the pivot of K-2SO’s torso as he finally noticed she was there. As K-2SO reached, her left arm flung out, a small object flying from her hand to land squarely in the middle of the droid's back. 

She wound up on the ground, one massive black foot pinning her, laughing as K-2SO tried to reach the flower magnet now affixed to the center of his back. 

“She’s insane,” Cassian said, surprised by the warmth in his own tone. “I don’t know anyone else who plays with him.” 

Galen chuckled. “It is playing, isn’t it? Jyn keeps using phrases like ‘tactical simulation’ when she argues about it with Lyra.”

“Lyra doesn’t think Jyn should spar with Kay?” 

“I believe Lyra’s perspective is something along the lines of, ‘So much as it is possible, avoid provoking the murderbot.’”

“Suppose I can see the logic in that. Kay wouldn’t hurt her, though. He likes her. Has since she took out a troop of Imperials on his behalf.” 

Galen nodded. “That’s good to hear.” 

They settled in to watch as Jyn was helped off the ground by a Pathfinder. “I’m surprised the Pathfinders are letting her interrupt their training session.” 

“Ah. I thought you knew.” Galen gestured over the training field below them. “Meet Recon Specialist Erso, the newest Pathfinder.” 

“Oh.” Cassian was surprised he hadn't heard. He was her minder, assignments should have gone through him. Not too surprised, though. Their patched together military force often suffered communication issues, without considering the pissy bits of politics that sometimes happened between ground troops and Intel. “Well, I'm glad to hear it. She's talented, and the Rebellion will benefit.”

“Yes,” Galen said, looking a little sad.

“How are you feeling about it?” Cassian found himself asking. 

“She seems happy.” Galen's eyes tightened. “What more can a father ask for? Just having her around again is more than I'd dreamed.”

“War has taken a lot from your family,” Cassian said, uncertain why he felt the need to continue to prod, but trusting his instincts. “And now your daughter's a soldier.”

“Not only my family,” Galen said. “As for Jyn, if she’s happy, I'm happy. I can't help but feel responsible, though. I know she signed up to take pressure off of our family.”

“I doubt that’s the only reason. Jyn knows her own mind.” Cassian shook his head slightly as he remembered the noise and chaos of Jedha’s market with Jyn next to him, the combat thrill of fighting next to someone so incredibly competent. “She’s enthusiastic. And she knows what she’s doing.” 

“You did fight alongside her, didn’t you? At Jedha?”

“Yes. Honestly, if she wants it, the Pathfinders will suit her well. I respected her abilities enough that I considered pushing Draven to offer her an Intel spot. I decided against it. It wouldn’t have been a good fit. Jyn’s straightforward. Intel thinks in curves. The Pathfinders, though, that’ll work.” 

“Thank you, Captain Andor. It does me some good to hear that. War has taken most of our options away but I will be content however she finds her happiness.” Galen sighed heavily as he looked out over the practice floor. “It’s too bad my face is so recognizable. I’d probably be well suited for your sort of work now.” 

Cassian looked over at Galen. The man looked haunted. There was a heaviness to his shoulders and a blankness in his eyes that Cassian recognized. He had seen it in the mirror enough times.

“I think,” Cassian said, picking through his words carefully, “that after thirteen consecutive years of undercover work, you deserve a break.” 

Galen’s hands twitched, and he swallowed heavily. Out of everyone in Galen’s life...who really knew what he was going through? He was surrounded by people who loved him, but Cassian might be the only one who understood. 

Cassian continued, “When we’re in the field that long...we have to make choices we never would have made, we do things we never would have done. We learn that, if the time and place are dire enough, there are almost no horrors we are not capable of. And then later, when we’re safe again, those decisions sit heavy on our shoulders.” 

“I may be responsible for genocide,” Galen said, softly. “I think Krennic would have finished the weapon without me, I delayed and stalled as long as I could but…I am not innocent.”

“You were a spy,” Cassian said. “We never are.” 

Galen went silent for a long time. Eventually he said, “Your interpretation of the events is a generous one. I doubt many share it. I'm astounded I'm not in chains. Or in a shallow grave.”

Cassian shifted uncomfortably. “Lyra wouldn’t allow it.”

Galen looked over at him, ghost of a smile edging on his face. “Ah. Yes. Rather literally.”

Cassian snorted. “Yes, well, speaking of blood on our hands...I will not apologize for following my orders.”

“I would never ask you to.”

“But...I take no joy in that work. I think things worked out for the best.” Cassian drummed his fingers against the railing. “And I’m not just saying that because if I had killed you, Lyra would have murdered me.”

Galen chuckled, looking surprised at his own good humor. “Actually, I'm pleased you brought that up. I was hoping to get the chance to speak with you alone. But I had not yet reached the point where I was willing to attempt to thwart Lyra’s plans for keeping us separated.”

“I have no intention of trying to undo my ‘mistake’, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Galen shook his head. “No. That’s not a worry. Rather the opposite, I suppose. I wanted to let you know that I understand. That there is no ill will. That if our august leaders determine that I must atone for my crimes with my life…my death does not need to sit heavy on your conscience.”

Warning sirens went off in Cassian’s head. “Galen,” he said, forcing himself to be blunt, “are you thinking of killing yourself?”

“Not at all,” Galen answered easily, and Cassian felt himself relax. “I am delighted with my continued existence. Every day holds a new joy that I had honestly never expected to experience again. Every hour is a precious gift. And at the same time…” Galen trailed off, corners of his eyes tightening as he tried again. “At the same time, I am aware that I am alive while many more deserving are dead, and if the universe decides it wants to even the balance…” He shrugged.

“When people like us start thinking of life as broken into the deserving and the not deserving, we go mad.” Cassian tipped his head up, lips going flat. “You made the best call you could in a hard situation. You found a path and carried it through. You are out, your message is out, and the Death Star has a flaw it wouldn’t otherwise have. That’s all we can really know, Galen.” 

“And Jedha is gone.” 

“Did you pull the trigger?” 

“I helped build the weapon. I don’t carry the full burden of guilt...but I do bear some, and there is no atoning for that.” 

“I am the wrong person to discuss moral arithmetic...but I think stopping the Death Star is a pretty good start on atonement.”

Galen bowed over, his forehead resting on his folded hands. It almost looked as though he were pleading. Or praying. Perhaps both. “All this and it’s still out there. Somewhere. I’ve been testifying until my voice is hoarse and _still_ they've done nothing—”

“I know.” Cassian clenched his hands on the rail in front of him. “They’re letting their fear run them.” 

“Their fear,” Galen’s head shot up, and he glared at Cassian, “is running the entire Rebellion. And ruining it. They would doom the galaxy with their inaction.” 

Cassian stared at Galen, with his flashing eyes and hard lines of fury etched into his face. Cassian felt something spark in him as well, a rebellious flame suddenly burning in his chest. That flame brought with it a terrifying resolve, durasteel bracing his spine, giving him the strength to say, “So what are we going to do about it?” 

Galen tipped his head at Cassian, considering. “What can we do? Keep talking?” 

“We both know that’s unlikely to get us anywhere.” 

“What…what are you proposing?” 

“It needs to be stopped. You and I, we’ve done monstrous things in the name of preserving freedom. If the Rebellion bends its knee at the first sign of opposition...all that we’ve done would count for _nothing_. I can’t live with that.” 

Galen looked at Cassian and nodded, slowly. “Neither can I.” 

Cassian knew that he was Galen’s minder, that Galen’s position was fragile, that Galen had more to lose in the careful calculus of treason. So Cassian took the first real risk. “I can get myself assigned to tracking down the Death Star. Draven’s got me keeping an eye on you, it would be easy enough to pass the location intel over.” 

“Knowing where it is isn’t enough. You need to know the exact location of the exhaust port on the Death Star. I...I believe I can convince my scientific minders that re-creating the schematics with as much detail as I remember is something that would serve the Rebellion well.” 

Cassian nodded, starting to work through the angles. “It’s too bad this isn’t a ground war. I can manage troops, I’ve got connections. We're not going to be able to take a team of troops into the reactor core, though. It's your exhaust port, or nothing. We’ll need the pilots on our side. I can ask around. Quietly.”

“You know the people better than I. The only people I can bring to the table are Jyn and Lyra.” 

Cassian arched his eyebrows. “I know Jyn and Lyra. That’s no paltry contribution.” 

Galen smiled, and it finally reached his eyes. “True. Lyra might have some more ideas.”

Cassian blinked as something occurred to him. “You do have an in with the pilots. Your messenger, he’s got an X-Wing now, they’ve got him training—”

“No.” Galen’s voice was implacable, immovable. 

“You don’t trust him?” 

“He’s done _enough_. Leave him out of it.” 

“With what’s at stake—”

“I know what’s at stake. I also know that man left everything he knew because _I_ asked him to. That he was tortured at the hands of the man _I_ sent him to. That because of the message _I_ sent, the weapon _I_ built destroyed his homeworld. Now, by some miracle he’s alive and he’s given the chance to fly and I will _not_ jeopardize that. We will find another way. This is non-negotiable, Cassian.” 

The pilot was their best chance of recruiting the starfighter forces. Cassian knew this. But Cassian also knew people, and he knew when not to push. They might need to revisit this later, but if Cassian pressed now he’d lose Galen altogether. So Cassian nodded. “Understood.”

Mollified, Galen’s shoulders relaxed. He considered Cassian. “So. Do you believe we have any chance of succeeding?” 

Cassian looked at him. “I know it doesn’t matter. We have to try.” 

Galen paused, then agreed with a slight nod. “We do.” 

That hung heavy in the air between them for a long moment. Cassian realized that he had just solidly thrown his lot in with a tool of the Imperial war machine. Of course, Cassian had spent his whole life working for the greater good alongside traitors and liars. This felt familiar.

Galen broke the tension with a slight smile.“I really thought it would take longer than a week and a half before I betrayed the next organization I joined.” 

Cassian chuckled, but then his face grew serious. “It’s not a betrayal. We’re saving it. From itself, if needed. I believe that.” 

Galen nodded. “Then I believe you.” He held out his hand, “Here’s to trying?” 

Cassian felt no hesitation as he took it. “To Rebellion.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> I've been thinking for a while now about the similarities and differences between Galen and Cassian, and I'm glad to finally have a plot that supports a bit of space to put them next to each other and see how things go. 
> 
> There is more to the series! The next story is the biggest, actually, as our intrepid heroes try to stop the Death Star. However, it is also giving me issues with the editing. Apparently, big stories require more of that. So it may be awhile before the story shows up, but I'm looking forward to sharing it with you. It'll be in the Lyra Lives series, if you want to subscribe. 
> 
> Also, I let people know when I post new stuff on my [Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sassysnowperson) Did you know I make fancy little graphics posts for each fic? It's fun.


End file.
